Sometimes Goodbye is a Second Chance
by DontCallMeBiriBiri
Summary: U's is gone and to Maki, so are her friends, but Honoka is determined to show her that's not true. Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters despite wishing I did. Anyways, this isn't a popular ship, but I got bored so here it is.
1. Chapter 1

It had been almost a month since u's disbanded. After winning the Love Live and watching the third years graduate, the idol group ended. None of us really wanted it to end, but at the same time we did. Just because the group was done didn't mean our friendships were. Actually, it some cases, like my own, the friendships _improved_. At first, I wasn't a fan of the u's members and they tended to annoy me. Soon, I started warming up to them, there one in particular who I grew close to. It was our leader, Honoka Kosaka. Now she was a third year and me a second meaning that she'd graduate before me causing me to lose someone I'm close to again. After the bell for the end of the day rang, I made my way for the music room. Since u's ended I fell back into my previous routine of spending every break there. I sat at the grand piano and rested my hands on the keys. I had composed a few new pieces, but they didn't feel complete without Umi's lyrics. I sighed and began hitting whatever keys came to mind. Before I knew it, I was playing Aishiteru Banzai. I couldn't help but sing along stirring up bittersweet memories. I glanced towards the door hoping to catch a glance of Honoka, but she was nowhere to be found. I continued playing until I felt the tears welling up. This wasn't like me at all, I was supposed to be strong! I laid my head on the piano and the keys cried in protest. I let the tears flow, I wanted u's back, I wanted my friends back. It wasn't the same without Eli, Nico, and Nozomi. I heard the door creak and shot up immediately wiping the tears off my stained face. I saw a familiar face and let out a sigh of relief.

The ginger haired girl approached me, her crystal blue eyes full of concern. "Maki-chan," She began, "are you okay? Ugh, of course you're not you were crying…"

I smiled sheepishly. "It's okay, Honoka-chan, I'm fine… I just, I just was thinking about u's."

She wrapped her arms around me. "I miss them too, you know. If you need anything, and I mean _anything_ , let me know, okay?" I nodded and hugged her back. "Maki-chan… I'm glad you're still my friend."

"Me too. I'm glad we became friends in the first place, if it wasn't for you, I would have never become a part of u's." Honoka released her grip, but I lingered. "Honoka-chan," I couldn't hold back my tears any longer, "could you stay with me? Just for a little bit longer, I promise."

"Of course, I'll stay with you as long as you want." We stood there in silence embracing each other for a good five minutes when there was a knock on the door. I jumped in surprise and distanced myself from Honoka, embarrassed that someone might've seen us hugging.

"Honoka-chan. Maki-chan, are you in there?" a familiar voice called from behind the door. It was Umi.

"Yeah~ Umi-chan, come on in!" Honoka called excitedly. Either she was able to get over things quickly or she was really good at hiding her feelings. Knowing Honoka, it was probably the latter. Umi walked in calmly, oblivious to what had happened minutes before. Determined not to be shown up by Honoka, I stubbornly sat down at the piano once again.

"What's up, Umi-chan?" My poker face was intact, which was a good sign.

"Not much, I was just looking for Honoka-chan to let her know I wasn't going to be available to hang out today. Kotori-chan said she won't be available either, sorry." Umi looked a little disappointed.

"Don't worry about it, Umi-chan," Honoka assured, "it's no big deal." Her smile seemed to be enough to convince Umi, but i could tell it was forced. Umi stepped out of the room and the silence that followed hinted at hidden emotions.

"Honoka-chan," I began, "are you okay?" She didn't have to answer, I could tell by her face that something was wrong. "What's wrong, is it about Umi-chan and Kotori-chan?" I moved closer to the ginger.

"I-I don't know… It seems like they're always too busy for me and when I ask why… They just avoid the question." Her blue eyes glistened with tears and it tore me apart. I couldn't bear to see her like this, Honoka was supposed to be the optimistic one! She always held her head high and cheered us on…

"Honoka-chan, I'm sure it has nothing to do with you. Hey, I have an idea, why don't we hang out together tonight instead?" As soon as I made that suggestion, I desperately wanted to take it back. For some reason, the idea of being alone with Honoka embarrassed me.

"That sounds good to me." Honoka smiled. "If you want, you can come to my house, but I think Yukiho will have some friends over."

"Eh, I don't want to impose and stress out your parents. Since it's a Friday, you can stay the night at my place. My parents won't mind." This meant we wouldn't be alone because although there were more people at Honoka's house, we most likely would be ignored. It wasn't like my parents were the type to check up on us or even care when I got home, but some of the staff at our residence probably would.

"Yea! So, when do you want to leave?" Honoka seemed extremely excited to be spending time with me.

"Well, I was planning on leaving soon, if you don't mind. I know you have student council paperwork that you have to tend to."

"Don't worry about it," Honoka giggled, "right now, you're my top priority."

I blushed furiously. "Wh-what's that supposed to mean, idiot."

Honoka grabbed my hand. "I love it when you go all tsundere!"

" " _Going tsundere"_ would require me to actually like you." I avoided eye contact so she wouldn't detect my lie. "Let's just go to my place."

"Awww, c'mon, Maki-chan, you know you love me~ Anyways, before we go to your house I need to stop by my house so I can get get my stuff, okay?" Honoka looked at me questioningly.

"Yeah, th-that's fine…" I still couldn't look at her with a straight face.

"Alright, c'mon, Maki-chan!" Honoka began pulling me out of the music room.

I was dragged all the way to Honoka's house. Practically running out of the school, Honoka caused me to stumble over my feet and have to focus solely on staying balanced. Everytime I tried to tell her to slow down I was either interrupted by tripping or she ignored me.

"We're here~!" Honoka sang. "You can wait in the lobby or come up to my room with me."

"I think I'll go with you." I felt uncomfortable waiting in the lobby of the sweets shop without buying anything.

"Okie dokie!" Honoka ran up the stairs and beckoned for me to follow.


	2. Chapter 2

I followed her hesitantly, not sure if I had made the best choice. The few seconds of silence that occupied our trip down the hall to Honoka's room made the air between us feel thick, something I wasn't used to when I was around her. Her room wasn't all that different from the last time I was here, but there were a few new trinkets here and there including pictures of Muse ranging from our first days as 9 to our last live show together. This didn't come as a surprise to me, yet it did bring a warm feeling to my chest.

"Honoka, where did you get these? I mean, you couldn't have taken them yourself since you're in the majority of these shots whether it be in the background or foreground." I cocked my head to the side in curiosity.

Her blue eyes shone vigorously, "Oh, those! I actually had someone take them for me so I could make a scrapbook for every Muse member. Those are still in the works so," She put a finger to her lips, "don't tell anyone, 'kay?"

I laughed and acted as if I was zipping my lips and threw out the key. Despite it being short, the conversation really eased the tension that had settled in the room. "I won't, I promise." Honoka giggled and mimicked my childish display. "Hey, Honoka," I wanted to say something before silence took over once again.

"Hmm?" She cocked her head to the side, curiously.

I looked to the side, I didn't want to bring her down since she was always shining, but this was a question I couldn't avoid. "When you graduate… are, are we still going to be this close? I just-"

"Of course we will! I mean, yeah, we don't see Eli, Nozomi, or Nico much, but that doesn't mean we're not close."

"I know that, but I just don't want us to all drift apart. I don't know if I could handle losing anymore of my friends. To me, you're like family and I'm not ready for that to break." I could feel tears welling up in my eyes. I blinked them back, it wasn't like me to cry. I was the stoic one of the group, the one who didn't let others in on her emotions. Or, at least I was supposed to be.

Without warning, Honoka hugged me. "Don't worry, your family's not going anywhere. I'm not letting it fall apart because I don't want to see anyone hurt. Especially not you, Maki." She wiped a tear off my cheek and looked me straight in the eye. "Trust me, it's going to be okay."

"Even with you saying that, I'm still worried." I picked up one of the photo albums Honoka mentioned earlier. "I wanted us to stay like we were in these pictures; always smiling and laughing like we didn't have a care in the world." I began thumbing through the photos and the last one was different. Rather than having most of Muse in it, there were only two people, Honoka and I. We were sitting in the music room going over a recent piece I had composed, I remembered this moment well, it was the first time I had really been alone with Honoka and in that span of about an hour, I felt like I learned so much about the older girl.

Honoka looked at the binder endearingly. "That one's yours, you know. It's the only one with that picture, I just remembered that day so vividly and I thought maybe you did too."

"Yeah, I remember it fondly. I think that's when we really became friends, don't you?" Honoka nodded her response and something about the way her sapphire eyes sparkled caused my stomach to churn. Her face wasn't far from mine and the proximity made it nearly impossible for me not to notice the fairness of her skin, her supple lips, and the tinge of pink in her cheeks. The proximity made it nearly impossible to breathe. "Honoka," my voice was barely audible, "we're always going to be close, I know it." And in my head, _close_ was something I wanted, I needed. It didn't just apply to our friendship, I wanted more than that, but it was also literal. I wanted to be physically close to this girl, I needed someone bright in my life and Honoka was, by far, the best fit for me. Somehow, without noticing it, I had fallen in love with this girl and there was no turning back.

The ginger smiled at me again sending sparks down my spine. "Hmm, but how close? Sometimes I feel like you're pushing me away and then the next second you're reeling me back in. You shouldn't lead someone on like that, Maki." She sighed. "I want to be closer to you, but only if you'll let me."

"Then be closer, I don't mind it." I spoke before I had thought out what I was going to say and I desperately wanted to take it back. I knew my face had become a bright red, the embarrassment made it hard to look Honoka in the eyes.

I found myself in the arms of the older girl once again, her grip tighter this time. "Like I said, I'm here for you, I always will be." Honoka paused. "I'll always be here for you, Maki, because I love you."

Looking at Honoka, I could see her face was red enough to put a tomato to shame, but I probably wasn't any better off. "W-what are you talking about?" I knew fully well what she was trying to say, but it took a minute to process. "You couldn't love me, what about Umi?"

"Umi? Why bring her up?"

"I thought you liked her…" I trailed off, I had been under the impression that there was something going on between the two third years, but I was never sure.

She took my hand in hers and focused her eyes on me. "I promise you, I don't. Maki, I've only ever loved you."

"Really?" The words were more of a question for myself than for the girl in front of me.

"Really." Honoka's serious expression softened. "I love you," She said it for a third time, "so, will you go out with me?" Her blue eyes glittered with anticipation.

The way she spoke practically took my breath away. As I struggled to find the words, I gradually realized how genuine my feelings for her were. "Yes." I knew my words were no more than a whisper, but I also knew that Honoka had heard them by the way her face lit up. "Honoka, I love you too."

Her lips were only a centimeter away. "Good." And then they met mine.


	3. Chapter 3

The kiss likely lasted less than a few seconds, but time seemed to stop and those seconds were stretched into eternity. As Honoka drew away, I couldn't help but blush. My gaze fell upon her once again, a goofy smile plastered on her face. I knew I had just as stupid of a look, but still I giggled at the ginger. "Aw, Maki, what's so funny?" She stuck out her lower lip in mock hurt. As my laughter subsided, I returned the smile Honoka had given me before. "Nothing, nothing. I was just thinking you looked really cute grinning like that." Almost as soon as I said them, I wished I hadn't. With my face growing hot and butterflies in my stomach, I pressed my face into my girlfriend's neck. Honoka lightly stroked my head in an attempt to comfort me. "Look at you, getting all embarrassed when I'm the one who should be blushing. I can't say it's not cute, though. I like that easily flustered side of you." "Geez, Honoka, teasing me like that…" I intertwined our fingers, the warmth emanating from her hand felt like the best thing in the world. "It's not very nice, you know." That feeling was something I wanted to keep forever, to bottle it up and hoard it all, I wanted to keep Honoka as close to my heart as I could because she was the sunshine in my life. She began to play with my hair, not unlike how I usually did, and I could hear a faint hum coming from her. I couldn't make out the song, but the melody was oddly nostalgic taking me back to a time when there were 9, not 6, a time where I didn't hold back and enjoyed myself, a time when I let a certain person break down my walls and remove my armour. "That song, it's nice." The sound stopped abruptly as if Honoka hadn't expected me to comment on it. "Oh, I'm glad you like it. I don't know exactly where I heard it, but whenever it comes to me I think of you." She picked up the tune once again and I shifted my position so my head rested on her shoulder. "So, what now?" I wasn't sure if we stilled planned to go to my house, but really I didn't care. I just wanted to spend more time with Honoka. Her humming stopped again. "We can stay here, if you want. It's getting late, though, so if you have to go home, I'll walk with you." The last thing I wanted to do was leave Honoka's side. "Don't worry about it, I don't really have a curfew since there's no school tomorrow." I felt like I was using every excuse in the book to spend more time with her. Practically tackling me with a hug, Honoka cheered. "Then you can stay here as long as you want!" The force behind her embrace had caused the two of us to fall onto her neatly made bed, giggling as we laid there. "You can stay here forever." "As nice as that sounds, you know that can't happen. The school year is coming to an end and you'll be graduating." Honoka sighed. "That's true, but we can still make it feel like forever, can't we?" I nodded and pulled her closer to me. "Yeah, let's do that." We stayed silent for several minutes and I could hear Honoka's heartbeat. Something about it was calming as the steady thumping made me drowsy. "Forever, okay?" I vaguely heard the question, I was drifting off slowly, but surely. "Forever…" And then all was dark.

 **AN:**

 _Okay guys, super sorry for the short chapter, but I wanted everything to be scene by scene so I figured this would be a good way to wrap up this part. I'm trying really hard to stay away from the feely angst stuff, but no promises! Anyways, the next one should be longer._

 _PS! If you guys have any requests, lemme know. I'll totally try and write the heck outta your ships_


End file.
